November 21, 2020

WEEKLY MENU 11.22.20

Our Weekly Menu 11.22.20 is basically a study in… leftovers! Check out how Thanksgiving week means less time in the kitchen around here.

The Weekly Menu 11.22.20 does have us spending some quality time in the kitchen, but we’re reaping the benefits of leftovers from Thanksgiving as well as other “re-purposed” dinners.

Thanksgiving is a BIG deal here in the United States, but it is celebrated in lots of other places as well.

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia, and the sub-national entities Leiden, Norfolk Island, and the inhabited territories of the United States. It began as a day of giving thanks and sacrifice for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Similarly named festival holidays occur in Germany and Japan. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and Brazil, and around the same part of the year in other places.
Wikipedia

Of course, not everybody celebrates with the same exuberance we do. And some folks don’t care for it, at all.

The British don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. (After all, the Pilgrims hosted the first Thanksgiving dinner after their successful exit from England.)
Slate

So, when do the leftovers start?

We’re having our traditional big Sunday dinner with a requested meal. Baby Boy spent three months away at school, despite Covid and multiple random tests. (He and his roomies were 6-0 against Covid. Yippee!) When he got home, he wanted home cooking and, a little surprisingly, stew. Guinness Braised Beef fits the bill perfectly. It’s delish, but it’s also a recipe that makes a LOT. And it happens to be awesome right out of the fridge.

On Monday, I’m making meatballs. A big batch, so after we eat our Spaghetti and Meatballs, the boysies can make meatball subs all week, and as a side for the pizza we’re ordering in for Wednesday.

On Wednesday, I’ll be making the pies, the potatoes and gravy, prepping the cornbread for the stuffing on Thursday, and even the cranberry sauce.

What I’m not making? Dinner.

Thanksgiving dinner is a traditional affair around here, and the hardest part this year will be cutting down the sheer quantity of food. I’ve never made a Thanksgiving dinner for so few people before! But needs must, and we don’t want Covid calling. If you need some tips on your Thanksgiving dinner, check out our helpful posts:

How-To Thanksgiving 101

Covid Thanksgiving – Small Batch and Easy

We’re having soup on Friday – so we have some leftover to serve with the Turkey sandwiches on Saturday. A day between Thanksgiving and diving into the leftovers makes them even better.

We’re also using the leftover mashed potatoes to make Potato Croquettes. I warm up the potatoes in the microwave for a minute or so to make them more pliable, then add an egg and combine it well. I form the spuds into disks (flat balls) and pan fry them until they’re golden brown. Simply decadent.

Mayo mixed with leftover cranberry sauce makes the best topping for the sliders. And the sliders? They’re on the leftover rolls from Thanksgiving.